A/N: Ah, nothing says romance like the ambience of a crowded loud nasty airport during rush hour in DC…with this in mind, I'm going to pretend like there aren't hoards of sticky screaming children and their directionally challenged parents running around while this chapter is taking place. Let's just say the PWP vibes scared them all away.
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Dulles International Airport, Washington, DC
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Harm
There she is. She's leaning up against a wall near the Starbucks on the airport concourse, holding a cup of coffee and chatting with the blonde agent from the videotape. The woman – Monroe, I think – says something and Sarah laughs, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. When she opens them again, she's looking right at me.
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Mac
I stop laughing. Andie gives me a funny look, but before I can say anything she follows my line of sight over to the two men on the other side of the concourse. With an indulgent smile she takes the coffee from my hand, stepping away from me. All of my attention is on Harm. The look on his face is one I've seen a few times: in Russia, once at McMurphy's, that day in the admiral's office when I told him it was getting dark. It's awe and pride and...I don't know what else. I always hoped the third component was love.
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Harm
I'm not sure how I get over to where she is, since I can't feel my legs, but suddenly I'm standing in front of her. I reach out with a trembling hand to touch her face, to make sure she's really here. My fingertips touch warm, familiar skin, and I try to smile but the expression keeps breaking apart.
"Harm?" she whispers. Something in me snaps, and I need to hold her like I've never needed anything in my whole life. I wrap her in my arms, crying silent tears into her hair as I cling to her.
"I love you," I whisper over and over, kissing her hair, her cheek, her forehead, any part of her I can reach without letting go. I've wanted this, needed this, so desperately. I don't deserve a second chance, but I've got it and I'm not going to waste it.
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Mac
I'm in his arms and he's kissing me everywhere he can manage. It takes me a moment to decipher his whispers, and then I realize what he's saying. I pull back just far enough to look up at him.
"Harm?" I ask again, desperate to believe what I'm hearing.
His eyes are full of wonder. "I love you, Sarah Mackenzie."
A little moan escapes my throat and then I'm pulling his head down to mine, kissing him with all the passion I've stored up over three years of waiting. I love this man.
"I love you," I manage to murmur between kisses, and I can feel his lips twitch into a smile against mine. His hands come up to touch my face again, his thumbs brushing my cheeks, and I smile back before recapturing his mouth with mine.
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Andie
I give the man in front of me a long look.
"I guess I can't kill you over this."
"It wouldn't really be prudent."
"You're still in trouble."
"I know." His voice is more confident now that he knows I'm not really mad. I'd like to be, but I spent most of the flight from Paris to DC thinking about why he did what he did. It's glaringly obvious that he was trying to give Sarah's partner some closure by showing him the tape, and I just don't have it in me to get angry at Clay's good, if misguided, intentions.
"As long as you're aware."
His embrace surprises me, and it's a moment before I can hug him back.
"Good to have you back, Andie."
I smile. "It's good to be back, Clay."
We separate, but only far enough for me to rest my head on his shoulder as we watch Sarah and her commander reunite.
"Do you think they're ever going to come up for air?"
"How much trouble would we be in if we just left them there?"
"I think when they realized we'd left –"
"Sometime next month –"
"They'd be pretty mad," I finish, elbowing Clay. "We should interrupt."
"I guess." We watch for another moment. "Want to get some coffee?"
I hand him Sarah's. "Help yourself. She'll never notice."
He chuckles and we settle in for a long wait.
"Hey, Andie, did I ever tell you about that stakeout in Jamaica last summer, on the beach?"
"I have the feeling I'm about to be very jealous."
"Got it in one."
"You guys get all the fun jobs."
"Hey, you used to work there too."
"Yeah, but when I worked there they never let me have any fun. Why do you think I transferred?"
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Mac
Harm pulls away just far enough to look me in the eye.
"I read your letter."
Despite the fact that I knew he had to have read it, my throat closes up. There were so many things in there I would never have admitted to. He rests his hands on my cheeks, tilting my face up gently.
"I have so many things to tell you. I don't know where to start." He gives me a tremulous smile. "All the things I never told my partner."
I can't hold back a smile at the honesty in his eyes. "I think we covered the most important one."
"Yeah," he murmurs, leaning in to kiss me again. "Yeah, we did."
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Andie
Clay and I have taken up residence at one of the cafe tables on the concourse. From here we can keep an eye on the lovebirds and relax a little at the same time. They're going on at least thirty minutes of pure PDA. I can't believe this is the same Sarah Mackenzie I met in Bosnia four years ago, or even the same one I just spent three weeks in the desert with.
A hand on top of mine distracts me from them, and I look up at Clay.
"Andie..."
He trails off and I'm puzzled. Clay's never had a problem speaking his mind before.
"Come on, get it off your chest. What's up?"
He sighs. "I'm glad you're back."
"You said that already," I remind him. "But thanks."
"Look, if you're not –"
"Hey, guys!" calls a familiar voice, and we turn to see Sarah and her commander a few feet away.
"Done saying hello?" Clay asks dryly, and I take a moment to wonder what he was going to say before they interrupted.
"I'm ready to pass out," she replies. Clay rises, coming around to offer me a hand up. I take it gratefully, concurring with Sarah's statement. All I want is a warm bed and a few days to catch up on lost sleep.
"I don't believe we've actually met," her Navy commander says, and I stick out my hand.
"Andrea Monroe."
"Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr."
"Nice to meet you, Commander. Now, in the self-absorbed interest of my own well being, might I suggest we all head home so I can get some sleep?"
He agrees easily, wrapping an arm around Sarah's waist as we head for short-term parking. Clay does the same to me, and I'm bemused by the gesture but appreciative of the support. We don't have any luggage – we left our BDUs and jackets with the I-Force satellite installment in Germany when we picked up the clothes we're wearing now, and everything else we had with us in Afghanistan was brought back by the Sevens.
Leaning my head against Clay's shoulder, I watch Sarah and Commander Rabb. He leans in to kiss her jaw, nearly knocking them both off balance, and she giggles. I can't help smiling at the two of them; if anyone deserves to finally be happy, it's Sarah Mackenzie. She's earned it.
She glances over at me then, as though she can sense my regard. I wink at her and she returns the gesture, jerking her head in Clay's direction. I raise an eyebrow, puzzled, and she rolls her eyes. Making the hand signal for 'forget it', she snuggles back up to Rabb and I'm left to wonder why on earth she wants me to wink at Clayton Webb.
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A/N Part 2: Apparently I've started indiscriminately snaking lines from MASH. It's mostly unconscious, I promise… :-D (landi104)